001. Harry Potter and the Network Introduction

[thebreakingwave]

[The video feed shows a young man in his late teens or early twenties. He's not nervous, but out of habit he runs a hand through the messy black fringe of his hair before speaking.]

Hullo, I'm Harry. From what I've seen the usual thing to do here is to ask if there's a way home or if there are others from home here. If you're here, say hi, and if you're not here -- well, I guess you won't speak up then?

I'm not very good at staying still, so if there's something genuinely useful I could be doing, let me know? I'm not exactly 'space skilled', but I'm a quick study and I've seen a bit of Space: 1999.

[Yes, he wants to go home, but the need to return isn't as desperate as it would've been a few months ago. Harry is almost relieved to admit that the war is over and his part has been played.

Still, being pulled into space has left him feeling wrong-footed rather than angry.]

Comments

permatext.

[culver]

Hello Harry. I am Nill.
There are things to do here that do not have much to do with space. You could help in the kitchens or grow food in the gardens.

text;

[thebreakingwave]

I was worried that everyone would eat food pills or something.

I've been gardening and know which end of the plant goes in the dirt.

permatext!

[culver]

How would you get food into a pill? That sounds silly.

That should be good enough. There are a few animals too but you should ask Jaye before going near any of hers.

[thebreakingwave]

Science, I suppose? And thanks, I'll keep that in mind.

Anything else I ought to know?

[As if 'science' is some sort of monolithic force that can explain anything away.]

[video]

[doggedly]

[Sirius hardly listens--he clicks on to answer this, because immediately he thinks James. Because it's got to be James! Look at him! Only--then he hears Harry, and then he sort of double-takes, and, right, yeah, not James, probably, there's definitely differences. And then there's the rest of it, too, space 1999, whatever that means, and he's really starting to rethink this. There's weird inter-universe twins here, he's seen them--but this is James.

James, called Harry. Oh. And then it sort of begins to make sense, and he isn't sure how to feel about this--]

Harry what.

[thebreakingwave]

Potter. It's a bit awkward to explain.

[It takes Harry a moment or two to recognize this stranger. Sirius is so young and free from the grief that later years layered onto him.]

[doggedly]

Er-- right. Yeah. No. I've got-- I sort of thought that was it.

[A beat. Yeah. Awkward.]

Erm. I'm-- Sirius Black. [And it's good to meet you? And I know your dad? And your mum is here? And you're from far in the future and I've heard about you and let's be friends? What do you say in situations like this; this is mental--and he laughs, somewhat dazedly.] And, well. Yeah.

[thebreakingwave]

Yeah.

[Harry's own smile is a bit lopsided while he tries to think through what comes next. How is he going to explain this? He can't really pass himself off as a distant cousin. At least there's one other wizard here. In space. He's in space.]

Will it be too strange to say I'm from your future? Does that make sense?

screams softly oh my lord

[theshabbiestofmen]

[Remus spends quite a few minutes simply looking at the video, playing it over and over. James' son, yes, he remembers Sirius telling him that. The fact was rather lost between James dies and Peter betrays us, but he can remember distantly enough. And this must be James' son; it's either James' son or some sort of doppelgänger.

Only how do you say that? How do you even check? Hullo, sorry to interrupt, was your father's name James? Jamie Potter? Wizard?

Eventually he decides on a simple opening. Easy. Smooth. Yeah.]

There's-- ah-- there's quite a bit to do, actually, but I don't know if-- I mean, not to doubt your skills, but it's for the more scientifically inclined than the magi-- well-- I mean--

Sorry, you are Harry Potter, aren't you?

[ NOT HERE. ]

[prefectly]

[ oH MY GOD WHAT DID YOU JUST- ]

[thebreakingwave]

[He does and doesn't want to deal with this particular sort of potential madness, but Harry nods in agreement. Hiding won't improve his situation any.]

I am and, well, I'm not all that good at science.

[theshabbiestofmen]

Right. Nor am I.

[Oh, god, James' son thinks he an idiot. Fantastic. Remus sucks in a deep breath and lets it out slowly, glancing away at nothing. Right. Better impression: go.]

No one told me you looked so much like James, is the thing. I'm-- my name is Remus Lupin. I believe we know each other when I'm far older.

[thebreakingwave]

[Give him a few more years and he'll look like his own man. Then again, in a few more years, he'll have outlived his father.]

We do. It's, umm, it is right to say that it's good to see you? It is for me, but I'm not too sure how it is for you.

video;

[prefectly]

[ ... okay, why do you look just like James Potter, that's- and- it's enough to attract the attention of both Remus and Sirius, which-

okay.


what in the world is going on here? ]

I can't say I have much experience with this, but there are certain jobs people have here. Um. Security, and there's a garden that's managed by a few crew members..

Re: video;

[thebreakingwave]

[Harry sincerely, desperately wants to know if he's dead. Again. He's pretty sure that if this is the afterlife, someone will mention it sooner rather than later.

I'm not really, I mean, I took classes with Professor Sprout.

Hi.

video; lol damnit wiki isn't telling me if Sprout taught mwpp (bah)

[prefectly]

[ familiar face saying a familiar name. weird. she's unreasonably nervous and she can't sort out why, not really, not when she's just staring at the screen of her communicator trying to make sense of this. ]

-- Hi?

I mean, hi.

Hullo, Harry.

My name's Lily.

[ what is she even doing right now?! ]

I, um- I.

You.

You look like someone I know, are you a Potter, by any chance? Sorry, it's just- it is unbelievable how much you look like him.

video;

[oikodomae]

Hate to break it to you, but half the issue with this ship is that there isn't much to do.

[ Have a sympathetic smile, though, because boredom is a hell of an enemy and Annabeth's still fighting it day to day. ]

Though I have to say, you're dealing with this pretty well.

[thebreakingwave]

If you think it would help, I could yell a bit?

[It's not entirely a joking offer.]

[oikodomae]

[ Just gonna laugh for a second there. ]

Doubt it would help, but you'd definitely fit in a little more.

And it'd give you something to do.

voice|

[entrapments]

Honestly? It's kinda hard to be useful all the time. I mean mostly 'cause even the people who are space savvy can't do a whole heck of a lot. Until there're like, crazy monster attacks or people getting sick or something.

It's more like, just trying to keep occupied.

[thebreakingwave]

[Harry has never been good at staying out of trouble when there's nothing to do and he knows it's going to be a problem.]

What do you do to pass the time?

[entrapments]

Would it sound really awful if I said eat cake and try not to die?

[voice] i can't not

[uncodlyawwesome]

Wwhat's Space: 1999?

voice; I'm glad you did!

[thebreakingwave]

I didn't see much of it, but when I was really little it was a television show about people living on the moon. There was a woman that turned into an owl, I think?

voice;

[uncodlyawwesome]

Humans don't turn into animals, that's dumb. Wwho wwould evven wwant to? Wwhat's the point'a that?

But either wway, I doubt that shit's gonna help you much here. Unless evveryone dyin' an' disappearin' wwas a normal plot devvice, then I guess maybe you're more prepared than other people.